The invention relates to apparatus for installing fasteners, such as knurled metallic bushes, into thermoplastics.
It is known to provide fastener installation apparatus comprising a feeding mechanism for the fasteners which leads the fasteners through an oven in order to heat the fasteners to a predetermined temperature, such as 400.degree. C. The feeding mechanism then moves the heated fasteners beyond the oven ready for installation in a substrate such as pre-drilled thermoplastic component for example for a telephone or the like. The known apparatus comprises a push rod for forcing the heated fastener into the pre-drilled hole in the substrate.
Problems exist in known apparatus for example in cooling of the fastener after passing through the oven and before installation, and thermal expansion of components of the feeding mechanism which can lead to misalignment of a fastener with respect to the push-rod and/or receiving aperture, amongst others. The invention seeks to avoid or at least mitigate the problems of the known apparatus.